Loving The Unloved
by AuroraCelia
Summary: Arianna, a beautiful country southern belle before the world fell apart, now all alone. Her family, now gone, she has no one to turn to but her horse. She may just have saved her own life by following someone from her past.
1. Chapter 1

Ari gasped for breath, choked on her own tears as Dancer cantered through the night. She had just watched her entire family and all her horses slaughtered by Walkers. She looked out into the night and saw a form stagger onto the road. As she got closer she realized that it was a Walker. Enraged that it would even cross her path, she released the reins and undid the strap that held her Ruger American .243. She took a deep breath, raised the gun and focused the corpse in her scope. With one last breath she squeezed the trigger and seconds later it dropped to the ground.

Ari awoke to sunlight on her face. Her lashes were stuck together from a night filled with crying and her long blonde hair was a tangled mess. She sat up in the bed of hay she fixed the night before and was greeted by a nicker from Dancer. She gave his nose a stroke and softly smiled at him. "I guess we should get going hunh boy? It's just you and me now…" she trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away before getting to her feet. They had arrived at the barn late in the night so she didn't get to look around then. The barn was nice to say the least. Clearly a riding school or breeding stable. Ari found a water spigot and gave it a turn crossing her fingers that there was water. As it began to flow she placed a bucket under and let it fill. She brought it Dancer and as she drank she continued to explore.

Ari came back with a few flakes of hay as well as a bucket of grain for Dancer. While he ate, she put a blanket in one of the saddle bags as well as a few pieces of clothing.

"Well we better get going," Ari said turning to Dancer as he finished off his hay. She saddled him up and did one last check of the barn. She opened the door a crack and looked out, not a Walker in sight. She slid the door open then climbed on Dancer.

The two had been traveling the dirt road, under the shade of oak trees when the sound of engines could be heard in the distance. Ari gave the reins a yank and Dancer stepped off the road just inside the tree line. Before long a man on a motorcycle followed by an old grey Ford sped by.

"People!" she exclaimed, "Come on boy we gotta catch up!"

Ari kicked Dancer into a full gallop as they raced off after the two vehicles. One must have noticed Ari because they slowed to a stop. A man excited the truck, rifle in hand and called out, "Why are you following us?"

Ari slid off Dancer placing her hands above her head. "Please! Don't shoot! I'm alone. My family was killed last night and I have no one!" Ari exclaimed as tears started to well in her eyes.

The man took a few more steps toward her. "And why should I believe you?" he asked, "For all I know you're entire family is sitting in the woods waiting to ambush us?"

"Please! I'm begging you!" Ari pleaded, "There's no way Dancer and I can survive on our own!"

The man moved even closer, the end of his gun now pressed to her chest. "I still don't believe you. Give me one good reason-"

"Wait a minute!" Ari exclaimed as she leaned closer so her nose was almost touching his, her green eyes flaring with recognition, "I remember you! You were that guy that hit on me at the stop light just before all the Walkers appeared!"

The man squinted, examining her face then her body. He smirked, "Oh I remember you, the one I wanted on the back of my bike."

He lowered his gun and took yet another step closer to her. "So what's your name?" he asked.

"Arianna and this is Dancer."

"Daryl. And that's my brother Merle" He replied motioning to the man who had climbed off his bike, "So I'll give you a little trust. You can come back to our camp but the instant you give me a reason not to trust you I'll put a bullet in your back."

Ari let out a huge sigh of relief and nodded. Daryl climbed back in his truck as Merle fired up his motorcycle. Dance trotted after the two vehicles as they led the way to the camp.


	2. Chapter 2

Here we are at chapter 2. If you like the story or think I could do something better please feel free to leave a review. I'd really appreciate it.

x.x.x

Ari stifled a yawn as she sat by the fire. Daryl caught her eye as he walked by. "Deryl!" she yelled jumping up.

"What do you want?" he asked looking at her.

"Where are you going? Can I come with you?" she replied.

"No I do things on my own," he said before walking away from her. Ari sighed before returning to the fire. He was clearly very upset about Merle being left in the city.

x.x.x

Dancer reared up as a Walker tried to attack him. Ari fired a quick shot that lodged itself right between its eyes. "Easy boy, I gotta get good shots," she whispered giving his neck a pat. Ari backed him up so his butt was against the RV. She dropped the reins and grabbed her other revolver. She shot at anything that got too close to her. All of a sudden the group that had gone to Atlanta seemed to appear from nowhere.

With their help the Walkers were cleared out of the camp and before long Ari slid off Dancer breathing a sigh of relief. Daryl walked over to her. "Are you ok?" he asked. She thought she saw a glimmer of concern in his eyes but wasn't going to question it.

"Yeah I'm ok," she whispered "We're both a little shaken that's all." She began stroking Dancer's neck attempting to sooth him.

"I'm glad you're ok," he muttered before moving off to check on the others. Ari looked on at the scene of complete chaos. So many dead. One member of the camp lay in a pool of blood nearby. Ari moved closer to the body putting a bullet in its head. She didn't want to risk another surprise attack.

x.x.x

"I know this is weird boy, just hang out here ok?" Ari said leaving Dancer in the Lobby of the CDC. She trusted he wouldn't go far, she could tell he was glad to feel safe.

Ari went to join the others after her blood had been tested. "Thank you so much for taking us in," she said looking to the doctor a smile on her face.

After eating she slipped into the bathroom to get a hot shower in. The water was an amazing feeling. She hadn't had a real shower for what seemed like forever. She soon shut off the shower, though unwilling, and toweled off.

Ari walked down the hallway almost bumping into Rick who had clearly had a little too much to drink. "Be careful," she called out after him chuckling. She turned forward once more and ran straight into Daryl.

"Hey watch where you're going," he muttered. Ari blushed slightly, "Sorry"

She moved to go around him but stopped when he asked, "Leave any hot water?"

"Of course I did," she replied placing her hands on her hips.

"Sure," he chuckled before moving toward the showers.

x.x.x

Ari raced toward the caravan praying she and Dancer would make it to the caravan in time. She pulled the horse trailer open so Dancer could load onto it then ducked behind it just as the CDC exploded. Dancer kicked at the trailer but the door held.

"Is everyone ok?" she called out worried that someone had been hurt. When everyone was confirmed ok they loaded into the caravan and drove away.

x.x.x

(There's going to be a large time skip here)

"Daryl want to help me feed the chickens?" Ari asked smiling at him hopefully.

"Not really," he sighed although he did take the bucket smirking at her. They still hadn't found Sophia but she was trying her best to keep her mind at ease by keeping herself busy.

Daryl tossed corn to the chickens as Ari collected the eggs. "Look!" she exclaimed, "Plenty of eggs for breakfast."

Daryl looked over clearly fighting a chuckle. "Well chickens do tend to lay eggs every day." Ari scowled at him giving his arm a playful slap. She led the way back to the farm house and deposited her collection of eggs in the kitchen.

"Breakfast is served," she joked as Maggie took the basket from Ari. Maggie smiled before helping with breakfast.

"Are you guys going out to search for Sophia again?" she asked turning to Daryl.

"Rick wants to." He replied looking out the window.

"I could help ya know," Ari muttered following his gaze where she saw Rick and his family walking toward the house.

"Never said you couldn't," he said smirking at her, "You can come with me today if you think you can handle it."

"I think I know how to search in the woods. Had to search for more than a handful of loose horses before this crap happened…" she trailed off as flashbacks clouded her vision from the night her family was wiped out. Tears welled up but she quickly wiped her face not wanting anyone to see them. But Daryl did, he didn't know why they showed up but he didn't ask.

x.x.x

Ari followed after Daryl her revolver in hand. "Do you really think there's any chance of finding her?" Ari asked. It had been quite some time and she knew as the days went by the chances of finding her were less and less.

"We have to find her," he said looking over his shoulder at Ari, "I don't think Carol could live with herself if she lost Sophia."

Ari stifled a sigh and continued looking for some sort of sign that the girl had been in the area.

A short while passed as the two walked in silence before Daryl broke it, "So what were the tears about in the kitchen this morning?"

"Just had thoughts of my family, that's all," she whispered avoiding eye contact with him.

"What happened?"

"Our ranch was pretty well fortified," she explained but eventually they created a weak spot in the fence and broke through. I was in the barn, getting ready to untack Dancer when I saw one walk by the window. So I left Dancer there, locked up the barn and ran to the house. I grabbed my guns and got back to the barn as soon as I could. I set all the horses free and Dancer and I ran off into the night."

"Hm, sorry to hear that," Daryl said. Ari heard a branch snap and turned in the sound's direction. There were three Walkers headed in their direction. She raised her gun but Daryl stopped her and instead he shot an arrow through one's skull before retrieving it and using it as a knife on the other two.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Of course I am, I could have handled them myself."

"Yeah, then your gunshot would have attracted more of these things."


	3. Chapter 3

So sorry about the last chapter, I kind of needed a filler to get to a good point to develop things. So now we'll get to see where Ari fits into the group.

x.x.x

"Oh, good point," Ari muttered looking off in the opposite direction to try and hide her embarrassment. Daryl smirked walking around her so he could look at her.

"Ya know, you're kind of cute when you blush," he teased. Ari growled at him and backed away feeling her face burning.

"Leave me alone!" she demanded.

"Fine," Daryl replied shrugging.

Ari looked up at the sky, it was taking on an orangish hue. "Looks like we should be heading back soon," she muttered. Daryl grunted in agreement but didn't say more. He moved back in the direction of the farm and set off without making sure Ari was following him.

"Hey wait for me!" she demanded jogging to catch up to him.

"What?" he questioned, "You told me to leave you alone." Ari glared at him then rolled her eyes.

"Why do you have to be so literal?" she sighed moving a few strides ahead of Daryl.

"Now that's just mean," he muttered. She assumed he was referring to the fact that she had on shorts that were slightly too short for her and the very bottom of her bum could be seen if they rode up.

Ari smirked and stayed ahead of him. Payback's a bitch. He reached up and gave her right cheek a pinch. Ari let out a yelp then turned around giving him the best glare she could muster.

"Talk about a joke," he teased poking her in the nose. He then stepped around her and continued on to the farm. Ari gave her shorts a tug then followed after Daryl.

x.x.x

Ari walked into camp absolutely exhausted from searching with Daryl. "Did you have fun out there?" Andrea teased. Ari scowled at her, "Oh yeah, loads."

In all actuality she did have a good time. Anytime with Daryl was a good time. She felt safe, even in a world as crazy as it was now, whenever he was next to her.

She had chosen the right time to return to camp because she was handed a plate with dinner on it. She sat down yawning before digging in to the food. Once she was finished she got up out of the chair and stretched her arms over her head before walking to her tent.

"This is long overdue," she thought to herself yawning again. She zipped up her tent before changing into her pajamas. She placed on of her revolvers next to her pillow and was asleep soon after.

x.x.x

Ari's eyes blinked open just before day break. She never did get much sleep anymore due to the fear of a Walker attacking her as she slept. She pulled her boots on and slipped out of her tent hoping to go unnoticed. She headed to the barn where Hershel had offered a spare stall to keep Dancer in.

"Morning boy," she called giving him a gentle pat. She grabbed some hay dropping it in the corner of his stall then she filled his water bucket. She grabbed a wheelbarrow and placed it in front of the stall door. She stepped into the stall and started cleaning.

Daryl had watched as Ari headed for the barn. Soon after he had gotten up to follow her. He peaked in the barn and saw manure fly out of Dancer's stall. He smirked moving quietly knowing that she had not heard him.

As Daryl neared the stall he crouched low then moved quickly. He grabbed the wheelbarrow picking it up and dropping it again as he let out a, "BOO!"

Ari yelped and raised the pitchfork to eye level expecting it to be a Walker. "You ass!" she yelled trying to hit him in the arm with the tool.

"That was completely uncalled for!" she stated although Daryl wasn't listening because he was too busy laughing.

"No that was perfect," he said partially regaining his composure, "Your reaction was priceless."

"For that you should finish Dancer's stall for me," she stated putting her hands on her hips. Darryl chuckled but shook his head, "That's your job, I'm not scooping any poop."

Ari rolled his eyes but went back to cleaning. She stopped when she noticed Daryl hadn't left. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Just keep doing what you're doing," he said smirking. She didn't know what he meant but she chose to ignore him.

x.x.x

After eating breakfast, Ari went into her tent to get dressed. She was planning on searching with Daryl but this time she was wearing jeans. She pulled on a hater top and her boots then the holster for her guns. She climbed out of the tent and went on the search for her partner.

"Has anyone seen Daryl?" Ari asked.

"I think he's over by the stables," Lori answered.

"Thank you," Ari called jogging off toward the barn. She peaked in and found Daryl at Dancer's stall.

"Making a new friend?" Ari asked smiling at the two Daryl looked over startled.

"I was just saying hello," he muttered.

"Sure you were," Ari teased, "Well are you ready to head to the woods?"

"Let's go," Daryl responded throwing his crossbow over his shoulder.

x.x.x

Ari's head swiveled from her left to her right. She was looking for something, anything that could potentially lead them to Sophia.

"This is hopeless," she sighed shaking her head.

"We can't give up," Daryl growled his nose almost touching Ari's, "We can't. We can't do that to Carol."

"Daryl we haven't found any proof that she's even still alive," Ari argued returning his glare.

"Get out of my face," he snarled pushing her back. Ari stumbled landing on her behind.

"Daryl!" Ari exclaimed looking up at him. She quickly got to her feet and chased after him.

"Don't you dare pull this crap," Ari said grabbing his wrist.

"Let me go!" Daryl yelled trying to pull his arm away from her. She had his wrist with both hands so when he pulled she came along, "I'm not letting go. You can't just run away from me and this argument."

Ari stared at Daryl a determined look on her face. She wasn't about to just let him leave her in the woods.

"You can't tell me what to do," he stated trying to pull his arm away again but Ari held on as tight as she could.

"Would you just-" Daryl was interrupted as he tripped on a stump toppling over and taking Ari with him. Daryl tried to get up but Ari had fallen directly on top of him.

"Would you get up," he grumbled.

"NO! Not until you stop trying to get away from me," Ari responded sitting up. She had him pinned down by sitting on his waist.

"Well…" He paused, "Now that you mention it I kind of like this angle."

"Ugh!" Ari exclaimed, "Men" She got off of him dusting herself off.

"Let's keep searching," Ari muttered moving off into the woods.

x.x.x

Ari awoke a little while after sunrise. She got up and started her usual routine. She stepped into the barn and noticed one of the horses was missing. Maggie walked in soon after. "One of your mares is missing?" she asked pointing at the empty stall.

"Uh oh," she muttered, "Someone must have taken her out early this morning. They chose the wrong horse."

Ari shook her head and went with Maggie to inform Hershel. Before long they put two and two together and discovered that Daryl was the one missing.

"Why did he leave without me," she whispered feeling more than a little hurt. Had she really upset him that bad?

x.x.x

Ari sat around waiting for Daryl to return. She hoped that he was ok. She looked up at the sky, it was getting an orange tinge along the horizon and she was truly starting to worry. That's when Andrea spotted something moving toward the farm. Ari jumped up watching the form move closer as Rick and Shane approached the figure.

Andrea made a shot but soon realized that it wasn't a Walker it was Daryl.

"No,No!" Ari screamed as she realized who it was, "How could you do that?!"

She jumped out of her chair and ran into the field at a full sprint. It was in that moment when she went to his side without even thinking that she realized it. She had fallen for Daryl.


	4. Chapter 4

Ari stared in horror as Daryl fell to the ground. She took off at a sprint, fearing the worst. Rick, Shane, and a few others of the group followed close behind. Ari reached Daryl first and fell to her knees next to him. She reached out and brushed his hair away from the wound.

"It looks like she only grazed him," she sighed. Ari's eyes fell on the necklace of Walker parts and frowned. Rick followed her gaze and quickly yanked it off tossing it in the bushes.

"Shane, help me get him up," Rick said pulling half of Daryl's body onto his shoulder. Shane moved so he could get under Daryl's other side and the two carried him back to the house.

"Bring him in here," Hershal said motioning to the bed where Carl had been healed. Ari tried to follow but he barred her at the door, "I'll call you when I have finished."

Ari frowned but stepped back and went to sit in a chair nearby. After an hour Hershal stepped out of the room and motioned that it was ok for Ari to enter. She jumped out of the chair and stepped in the room. She sat in the same seat Rick had, as he waited for his son to wake up.

Ari took Daryl's hand in hers and sighed. "Please be ok," she whispered.

x.x.x

Arianna awoke early the next morning to Daryl moving his hand. She instantly sat up to see his eyes barely open. "You're okay!" she exclaimed hugging him. Daryl coughed and winced slightly from the pressure she caused.

"Sorry, sorry," she whispered backing into the chair again, "Here I'll go get you something to drink." Ari got up and tip toed into the kitchen. She poured Daryl a glass of water before returning to the bedroom.

"Here you go, do you think you can sit up at all?" she asked

"Course I can," he answered but his voice was hoarse. He struggled slightly to sit up but managed to prop himself up on his elbows.

"Here, let me help you," Ari said moving the glass to Daryl's and trying to help him drink.

"I can do it," he argued taking the glass with his right hand and taking a long drink.

"You'd think you'd at least consider accepting help," Ari muttered looking out the window. Daryl smirked and placed the empty glass on the bed side table.

"I'm guessing you've been here all night?" Daryl asked as he fell back onto the bed.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Ari shot back, "To have someone who cares about you? At least a little?"

Daryl snorted and looked away from her, "No one's ever given a shit about me so now is no different." Ari frowned but didn't say more. The sun had just broke over the horizon and light came into the windows. He turned his attention to out the window.

"We need to back out to look for Sophia," he muttered looking out the window at the slowly rising sun.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Ari argued trying to stop him from getting up.

"I'm fine," he stated moving her out of his way and grabbing his boots.

"Fine, I'm not arguing with you," she muttered, "But don't plan on going alone." Daryl looked at her and frowned.

"Don't know why you think you need to babysit me," he grumbled tying his boot.

"Because you just got shot last night?" Ari asked sarcastically. Daryl looked at her and shook his head. He led the way to the door and she shut it quietly behind her.

"Just let me give Dancer something to eat," she said grabbing some hay from beside the barn and dropping it in the horse's stall. She stepped back out of the barn and offered Daryl a smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, just glad you're alive," she replied.

"Oh please, a little bullet wouldn't stop me," Daryl teased. Ari laughed and hit him in the arm playfully.

The two stood at the edge of the woods and Ari took a deep breath. She pulled out her first revolver, loading it, then did the same with the other.

"Do you really think there's any chance at finding her?" Ari asked.

"I'm not so sure anymore," Daryl muttered before taking the lead into the brush.

x.x.x

Ari looked over her shoulder as another Walker appeared to come out of nowhere. She whipped around and buried her knife in the side of its head.

"This is weird," she yelled to Daryl who was at the opposite side of the clearing, "We never see this many."

"It's probably from that gunshot from last night," he replied firing at a Walker to the right of Ari.

"Well we need to get out of this area," she called back trying to move closer to him by killing two more Walkers. Daryl killed one more before the two made a run for it.

"We should be able to lose them since the brush is so thick," Daryl explained. Ari looked over her shoulder and could see the Walkers falling farther and farther behind.

After running for what seemed like forever, Ari slowed to a stop so she could catch her breath. "That was not pleasant," she muttered bent over at the waist.

"Oh come on, thought you used to chase deer through the woods," Daryl shot back.

"Yeah, usually we'd track deer on horseback," she answered standing. Daryl looked up at the sky and frowned.

"We should probably head back," He sighed, "It's going to start getting dark soon." Ari nodded and followed after him.

x.x.x

Ari sat next to Daryl, watching the fire burn. She sat close enough to him for their thighs to touch. She smiled slightly at the sense of safety she felt from that simple contact. Ari looked up in time to see Andrea eyeing the two of them and frowned.

Rick looked around for Carol before saying, "I think tomorrow, we all do one solid sweep of the woods then we need to call this search for Sophia."

Daryl glared at Rick and shot up. "You can't just give up on that little girl. It's going to kill Carol!"

Rick frowned, "Daryl, it's been too long as it is. Do you really think there's any way a little girl can live out there with those things?"

"She's out there," Daryl argued before storming off.

"Awesome," Ari muttered getting up and following after him.

"Daryl, Daryl will you wait a minute," she called, "Rick is just trying to do what's best for the whole group."

"No he's not," Daryl argued, "He just doesn't want to look anymore. We can't do that to Carol." Daryl was almost to his camp when Ari grabbed his wrist. He tried to pull it away but when he turned and saw the look in her eye he stopped. Was this her trying to care about him?

"Daryl you aren't leaving," she muttered.

"Why can't I?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to be looking for two people," she argued, "And if I found you, as one of those things…."

Ari rubbed her eyes as she felt tears start to well in the corners, "I don't care if I have to sit here and watch you all night, you aren't leaving."

"I think it's cute that you think you can stop me," He replied. Ari glared at him before grabbing the collar of his vest and pulling him into a kiss.

She pulled away and frowned, "There you asshole, now you see why I don't want you to leave?" She stormed off back to the fire leaving a confused Daryl watching her go.


	5. Chapter 5

Ari sat by the fire eyes on her plate. She had avoided Daryl for the remainder of the evening and didn't have any intentions to change that. She felt someone sit next to her. Looking out of the corner of her eye she saw that it was Daryl.

Ari looked back at her plate and tried to continue eating but Daryl grabbed her wrist. "I'm the last person you're going to be able to avoid," he whispered.

"Let me go," she growled, "I've said all I've had to say to you."

"Yeah? Well I haven't," he shot back. Before he could finish Glenn jumped to his feet.

"I have something to tell all of you," he said looking around at the group. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Hershel is keeping a hoard of Walkers in the barn."

Ari stared open mouthed at Glenn's secret. "Tell me you're kidding," Shane exclaimed jumping out of his seat.

"No, I saw them with my own eyes," Glenn replied. Ari shook her head. This wasn't safe in the slightest.

"Those Walkers need to be taken care of," Shane urged, "And we need to stop wasting our time looking for Sophia. She's dead."

Daryl jumped up at the mention of giving up on Sophia. "If you're implying that we give up on that little girl then you're going to regret it," he growled getting in Shane's face. Before Shane could reply Daryl stormed off.

"Great," Ari muttered getting up and following Daryl. She broke into a jog to catch up to Daryl and reached out grabbing his wrist.

"Let go," Daryl stated, "You don't want to talk to me again remember?"

Ari frowned at him but held tight. She adjusted her grasp so that she was holding his hand. "Come with me," she demanded, dragging him into the barn. Ari stepped inside and let Daryl to Dancer's stall. She took his hand and placed it on the horse's nose.

"Take a deep breath," she whispered patting Dancer's neck. Daryl took a breath closing his eyes. He stroked Dancer's nose then looked at Ari.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Daryl asked.

"Because horses are calming," she explained, "And healing." A small smile appeared on Daryl's face.

"Why do you care so much about me?" he asked taking a step toward Ari. She took a step towards him smiling.

"Because I do," she whispered. Daryl looped an arm around her back pulling her body against his.

"Are you sure you can handle caring about someone like me?" he asked.

"I think I can handle it," she replied then he pressed his lips against hers. She smiled into the kiss melting into his embrace. It was soon over when Dancer pushed his nose against the two.

Ari couldn't help but laugh and gave Dancer's neck a pat. Daryl stepped away releasing her, still smiling. "It's not so bad having someone to care about you, you know," she teased stepping out of the stall and grabbing some hay for Dancer. Daryl followed behind her, pinching her behind when she bent over.

"We'll see how it goes," he shot back grabbing the hay from her and tossing it in the stall.

"Should probably get him some water too," she added grabbing the bucket. She stepped outside to the faucet and dropped the bucket.

"Daryl!" she called.

"What is it?" he asked stepping outside behind her.

"Shane," she replied pointing to the man who was walking toward the barn that held the dead. Then their eyes fell on Hershel and Rick who both had Walker's on long poles

Daryl jogged over and Ari followed close behind.

Shane shoved a shotgun at Daryl and gave Ari one of her revolvers.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"This is dangerous!" Shane yelled raising his gun to the back of the Walker's head that Rick had on a pole. He pulled the trigger then went to the barn. He shot at the lock and the chain fell from the door. Slowly the herd stepped out into the light and the group began firing.

Ari frowned and stepped behind Daryl, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Oh fuck," Daryl whispered. Ari peaked around and her heart sank when she saw Sophia.  
"No, there's no way," she muttered.

Rick sighed stepping forward. He raised his gun to the girl's head and fired.

x.x.x

A few days later Ari sat with Lori helping prepare dinner as she watched the sun set.

"Not looking forward to winter," she said looking at Lori. She eyed her stomach thinking of the idea of bringing a child into this world. It was a scary thought.

"Neither am I," Lori replied smiling at Ari. Ari returned the smile before getting up to deliver the potatoes she had been cutting to Maggie. Ari turned around startled by someone coming through the door.

"We have a slight problem," Glenn said breathing heavy, "We just saw a Walker that turned without being bit."

Ari frowned wiping her hands and moving toward Daryl. "What happened?" she asked. Before he could reply she noticed a large herd of Walkers coming through the field.

"I think we have a bigger problem," she cried. A large portion of the group ran out to the RV grabbing their weapons. Ari emptied both of her revolvers and her rifle into the herd.

"This isn't working," she cried. She looked around and spotted Andrea and T-Dog coming her way with the truck. They slowed enough so that she could climb in the back.

"We have to get Dancer," she exclaimed.

"I'll try my best but I can't promise anything," T-Dog replied pointing the truck toward the barn. When they were almost there Ari jumped out and broke into a sprint. She took out a few Walkers before slipping into the barn.

Ari grabbed Dancer's tack throwing it on him and climbing on. "We need to go," she said to the horse giving him a kick. Dancer took off at a gallop. Ari steered him toward the truck and they followed it off the farm.

x.x.x

After the group got a fair distance away from the farm they stopped. Ari slid off of Dancer and ran to Daryl.

"You're ok!" she exclaimed hugging him.

"Of course I am," he replied hugging her back awkwardly. He wasn't exactly used to showing affection and no one was aware of what had happened between the two in the barn.

"Think we should stop for the night?" Lori asked looking at Rick.

"There's no place for shelter," Rick argued.

"Rick we're all exhausted, we need to rest," Lori shot back. Rick pressed his lips together thinking of a safe way to go about setting up camp.

"Fine. We'll stop for a few hours and take turns keeping watch and sleeping. We have six hours," Rick said looking around the group, "Daryl, Ari you ok with first watch?"

Ari nodded and Daryl shrugged. The two moved to the edge of the clearing finding a place to sit. "I hope we make it," Ari whispered sitting next to Daryl.

"We will," Daryl whispered placing his arm around her reassuringly.


	6. Chapter 6

Welcome to chapter six. Happy to report I got off my butt and beat this writer's block. Here's to hoping the ball keeps rolling.

x.x.x

Ari's eyes opened to the light of sunrise flooding in through the barred windows. She sat up in her bunk pulling her plaid shirt on then her jeans and boots. She got up pulling her holster over her shoulders before slipping out of her cell. She stopped for a moment in front of Daryl's cell watching him sleep. He was at peace for once and she always enjoyed the sight.

Even though the two were technically together she didn't want to jump the gun on any sort of intimacy knowing the man wasn't exactly used to feeling this sort of affection from someone. Ari slipped out of the cell block as quietly as possible into the cool morning air. She waved to Glenn who was currently in the guard tower before continuing on to the shelter that Rick and the others had put together for Dancer

"Morning boy," she said patting the horse, "I think it's going to be nice out today."

She let him out loose into the yard so he'd have a chance to nibble on some grass while she cleaned everything up. She topped off his water and poured some grain into his other bucket. While on a supply run recently, she had discovered a barn that was untouched which she took full advantage of.

"You snuck out without me," a male's voice said softly from behind Ari. She spun around to see Daryl and she smiled at the man. She smiled before walking over to him and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"You were just so cute sleeping I couldn't wake you up," Ari teased. Daryl's lips turned into his signature half smile as he pulled her into his arms.

"Maybe one day you'll decide to slip into my bed and see how cute I am up close and personal," he shot back. Ari flushed at the thought having avoiding suggesting and such thing for fear of pushing him away.

"Well I didn't want you thinking I only wanted you for your body," she reasoned trying to calm herself but still teasing him.

Daryl smirked and released her before changing the subject, "Wanna go out hunting? Fresh meat would be a nice change from the prison crap."

Ari playfully glared at him for changing the subject but nodded grabbing her rifle and slinging it over her shoulder. Daryl ran his fingers through his always messy hair before heading to the gate waiting for Glenn to open it.

x.x.x

Ari sat quietly next to Daryl scanning the woods, staying on the alert for deer and walkers alike. She peaked at him out of the corner of her eye and tried not to smile. She felt immense safety being next to him even though they were completely exposed.

"So you really want to share a cell?" Ari whispered turning her attention back to the woods.

"Why not?" he asked shrugging. Ari smiled at the thought of being able to sleep in his strong arms. A Walker stumbled out of the brush and Daryl stood sending an arrow through its eye.

He walked over and removed it before turning to Ari, "We should probably move on that thing scared off any possible deer we were gonna get.

Ari nodded standing up and moving to follow him. She reached out and took his hand in hers smiling at him.

x.x.x

Ari and Daryl returned carrying a deer between the two of them when the sun was high in the sky.

"Nice catch," Carl called running up to let the two in.

"You can thank Ari," Daryl said, "She's deadly with that rifle." Ari laughed and walked along with Daryl to start in on breaking down the deer.

Before long the deer was taken care of and Ari began to pile up the meat to bring to the kitchen. "I have to go see Rick," Daryl stated. He gave Ari a quick kiss before moving off to find the man.

Ari stepped into the kitchen and found Maggie and her sister working on figuring out dinner. "Here we'll want to get this cooked since there's no way to keep it," she stated setting the meat on the counter.

"Wow great job on the catch," Maggie exclaimed eyeing the food. Ari knew that the meat would do them all good seeing as they hadn't exactly had balanced diets recently.

"I leave you girls to it, you always cooked something yummy at the farm," Ari said laughing before heading back outside to visit with Dancer again.

"How are things going?" Glenn asked walking up and leaning on the fence next to Ari. She looked at the man and couldn't help but smile.

"Finally something positive in this shitty world," she admitted.

Glenn smiled back, "It's a good feeling having someone to love when there seems to be nothing good left in this world.

"I won't be saying that world for a while but I don't disagree," Ari admitted.

"Why not?" Glenn asked, "Tomorrow is never promised, especially not in this crazy world we're living in. You may miss out on your chance if you wait too long."

Ari frowned knowing he had a point, "I guess you're right. I just don't want to scare him off. I mean we haven't even slept in the same bed yet."

Glenn smiled placing his hand on her arm, "Look, I'm not saying run off and tell him right now but when the chance presents itself. Take it."

"Thanks Glenn," Ari said smiling as she looked over her shoulder at Rick and Daryl talking. Glenn gave her arm a pat before walking off to find Maggie.

x.x.x

Ari finished off her dinner before getting up and heading for her cell. She grabbed her few things and sat them in Daryl's cell taking a deep breath. She was nervous to say the least.

Ari left the cell and went back to where everyone was still gathered and sat next to Daryl. Rick was going on about a supply run which Glenn and Maggie had already volunteered for.

Ari let out a yawn and leaned over resting her head on Daryl's shoulder. "Alright everyone, get some rest," he said. The man's face was creased with stress and hurt and Ari felt for him knowing what it was like to lose someone you love.

Ari stood stretching her arms over her head. Daryl smirked at her taking her by the hand and leading her to his cell.

"You're sure you're ok with this?" Ari asked.

"I wouldn't have made the offer if I wasn't," he answered walking over to her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and reached up beginning to unbutton her shirt. Ari flushed slightly looking away from him. Daryl took Ari by the chin making her look at him as he pushed her shirt off her shoulders.

A shiver shot up Ari's spine as the garment fell to the floor. Daryl pulled his vest off revealing his bare muscled chest and Ari struggled not to stare. It was the first time she saw him without a shirt and she was not disappointed.

He dropped his pants into a crumpled pile and smiled at her stare. He reached down undoing her belt, sliding it out of the belt loops. Daryl unbuttoned her pants copying what he had done with his. Ari stepped out of them and smiled up at him her face still flushed.

Daryl slid into the bed and held the blanket up for Ari to slip in next to him. Ari got under the blanket next to man and cuddled up against him. She smiled as his arms wrapped around her.

"Your face was pretty red," he whispered, "What did you think I was going to do to you?"

"Shut. Up," Ari whispered back her cheeks still feeling hot.

Daryl smiled closing his eyes. This feeling he was having was strange and new but he almost welcomed it compared to the nightmare world they were living in.


	7. Chapter 7

Ari ran to the gate when she spotted Daryl and the others returning from Woodbury. She pushed it shut as Rick drove in seeing a few Walkers coming out of the woods. She ran over standing outside Daryl's door smiling at him.

"I'm glad you made it back safe!" she exclaimed hugging him. She looked at the back door as it opened to reveal Merle climbing out. Ari's smile instantly turned into a frown.

"Well would you look at that little brother," he sneered, "Looks like you've got yourself a little pet."

"What are you doing here?" Ari asked drawing a revolver and pointing it at the man's forehead.

"Hey, easy there," Daryl interrupted grabbing Ari's wrist and lowering the gun. Ari looked at Daryl confused.

"He's on our side," Daryl said giving her wrist a squeeze. Ari narrowed her eyes at Merle but put her revolver back in the holster.

"Let's get you something to eat," Ari muttered looking at Daryl before taking him by the hand and heading inside.

x.x.x

Ari looked up as Rick walked in. "We have a war on his hands and we are outgunned," the man said scratching his thickening beard. He looked around the group before adding, "We need to do a search run and find whatever weapons and ammo we can."

Ari shook her head. She doubted they would find anything but remained quiet. "So Michonne and I will go to the town in the east and Daryl and Ari can head to the town to the North. Hopefully the Governor hasn't wiped them clean," Rick directed.

Ari looked over at Daryl and couldn't help but smile at the thought of going out with him. "Alright get some rest everyone," Rick said sighing, "Tyrese is on first watch."

Let's go," Daryl said through a yawn. He stood up wrapping his arm around Ari's waist. Ari slipped into the bed while Daryl undressed smiling up at him. She would never get tired of sleeping next to him.

Daryl climbed into the bed pulling Ari close to him. He pulled the blankets tight around her making sure she was warm. Before long the two were soon asleep.

x.x.x

Ari and Daryl met up with Rick and Michonne the next morning. "Alright just try and be back before dark," Rick ordered. Daryl nodded as he climbed on his bike.

"Looks like I don't have to kill to see you on the back of my bike," he teased as Ari climbed on. She laughed as he started the vehicle, the engine roaring to life. He drove slowly to the gate driving out of the small opening Glenn had made for them.

Ari wrapped her arms around Daryl holding tight as he rolled the throttle and the two took off. \

"I really don't know what Rick expects us to find here," Ari stated looking around, "At this point the whole town is going to be picked clean."

"He's desperate," Daryl stated shrugging his shoulders. He threw his crossbow over his shoulder and moved off to start searching houses.

Ari followed along behind Daryl keeping her eyes out for Walkers. They walked into a house that looked pristine. Nothing upturned, nothing raided. It was strange.

They entered a bedroom and Ari checked the bathroom then a closet. Inside the closet Ari lucked out and found a rifle. "Well at least we won't go back empty handed," she said placing the gun on the dresser.

"Good find," Daryl muttered smirking mischievously at Ari. He walked over shutting the bedroom door and locking it.

Daryl stepped up behind Ari wrapping his arms around Ari from behind. He kissed her neck gently before spinning her around to face him.

"What are you planning Mr. Dixon?" Ari teased.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," he whispered pulling her shirt off. He slipped her pants off as well before kissing her. He nibbled on her bottom lip as she pushed his vest off and pulled his belt off.

Daryl pushed Ari back onto the bed and continued to kiss her as he played with her bra before slipping it off. He began nibbling on her neck and kissing her soft breasts.

"Daryl," she gasped, "I… I have to tell you something!" He looked up a little confused.

"What?" he asked frowning.

Ari bit her lip remembering what Glenn had said, "Well I…. I…. I love you Daryl!"

Daryl froze for a second his whole body stiffening. He paused for a second before replying, "I love you too Ari."

He went back to kissing her breasts as he slid her panties down her legs.

x.x.x

Ari had her chin resting on Daryl's shoulder, a huge smile on her face, as the two rolled back into the prison. Ari hopped off holding the few things she and Daryl had found. She spotted Rick and jogged over handing him the rifle and two hand guns with a couple of boxes of ammo.

"That's all you found?" Rick asked frowning. Ari nodded feeling like she had let him down.

"Sorry the town was pretty much picked clean," Ari muttered before heading to take care of Dancer.

x.x.x

Ari wandered the prison and the yard searching for Daryl. He had disappeared earlier that day and wasn't sure where he had gone. She spotted Michonne outside the gate and frowned. As far as she knew Merle had brought her to return to the Governor in hopes that it would save their groups from fighting. She pulled the gate open letting the woman in.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Merle let me go," Michonne explained, "He said he had something to take care of. I bumped into Daryl who went after him."

Ari frowned not liking the sounds of what was going on, but with having no way of knowing where the men were headed she felt like a sitting duck.

A few hours later Daryl appeared at the fence his eyes down at the ground. Glenn let him in and Ari went running toward him but slowed. Something wasn't right.

"Daryl what's wrong?" She asked grabbing his wrist.

"Leave me alone," he growled pulling his wrist out of her hand.

"Oh no you don't," she muttered latching tightly onto him again. Daryl dragged Ari all the way to his cell where he slumped down on the bed. Ari knelt down on the floor so she could look up at his face under the curtain of his bangs.

"Daryl, what happened?" she asked again noticing he had been crying.

"It's Merle," Daryl answered his voice cracking," He's dead." Ari frowned and moved to sit on the bed next to him. She pulled him into her arms and let him sob into her shoulder.

"Looks like we'll be paying Dancer a visit again soon," she whispered.


End file.
